Strawberry climate

Strawberry Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Natural Brg, 10.2 km from Strawberry, elevation 4608 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Natural Brg. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 9 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 211 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 30, first October 31
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 16, first November 20

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 19May 14May 9May 4Apr 30Apr 26Apr 21Apr 15Apr 8
32°FMay 10Apr 30Apr 20Apr 15Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 28Mar 17
28°FApr 14Apr 4Mar 30Mar 24Mar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 1Feb 20
24°FMar 21Mar 9Mar 3Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1Jan 20
20°FFeb 27Feb 18Feb 11Feb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 14Jan 6Dec 27
16°FFeb 17Feb 11Feb 4Jan 26Jan 19Jan 12Jan 7Jan 3Dec 27

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 9Nov 14
32°FOct 21Oct 29Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 16Nov 19Nov 24
28°FNov 1Nov 9Nov 14Nov 18Nov 20Nov 24Nov 27Dec 2Dec 8
24°FNov 13Nov 20Nov 25Nov 30Dec 5Dec 9Dec 13Dec 18Dec 25
20°FNov 28Dec 5Dec 12Dec 17Dec 23Dec 28Jan 2Jan 11Jan 26
16°FDec 23Dec 30Jan 3Jan 6Jan 11Jan 17Jan 25Feb 3Feb 12

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F206200194188183178172166157
32°F238230223217211205199193182
28°F278269261254248242236227215
24°F323310303296289282274265251
20°F364354343336329322313304291
16°F365365365365365361353339324

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
89% of years
16°F or colder
46% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
3,538
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,218
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,947
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,376
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,033
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,909
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,979

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January71502
February573018
March470074
April2874183
May11959408
June7243685
July0394859
August0324789
September16168601
October17028330
November461079
December72005

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 10.2 km from Strawberry. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00025825 (Natural Brg). Public domain.